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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,699 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7840 Posts |
The TSA (Taking Stuff Away) is collecting other items at the airports, but not by force; Airline passengers leave about $400,000 a year in coins they forget to -- or choose not to -- take with them as they scramble to catch flights, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
In 2010, that loose change amounted to $409,085.56. That's $376,480.39 in dollar coins, quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies, plus foreign currency worth $32,605.17.
People who leave money behind may be rushing through a checkpoint for a variety of reasons, and travelers heading to foreign countries may simply feel they have no use for U.S. change, said David Stempler, president of the Air Travelers Association.
MORE: Travelers forget everything from passports to false teeth
PHOTOS: Items left behind on Southwest Airlines
Then there's the jingle factor: Coins just aren't that appealing in an increasingly cashless society.
"Many people aren't carrying change these days anyway," Stempler said. "It just weighs down in their pockets and purses. I know in the city I see a lot of people giving it to homeless people just to get rid of the change."
Passengers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York left the most change in 2010 ($46,918.06), followed by Los Angeles International ($19,110.83), Hartsfield Atlanta International ($16,523.83), San Francisco International ($15,908.02), and Miami International ($15,844.83), according to the TSA.
The TSA "makes every effort to reunite passengers with items left at the checkpoint," agency spokesman Greg Soule said. Money that can't be returned to its owner is used to finance agency operations.
Republican Rep. Jeff Miller of Florida wants to change that.
Legislation he's proposing would give the money to the United Service Organizations to help operate their welcome centers for U.S. military personnel around the globe.
"Allowing TSA to keep unclaimed taxpayer money for any and all purposes is an egregious breach of its duty to the public that it serves," Miller wrote in a recent letter to House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y. "This money should be put to good use, and there is no better organization to use this money wisely than the USO."http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/...0/52503638/1 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2295 Posts |
Pretty interesting article. I hope he gets the legislation passed on it.
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Pillar of the Community
Germany
1063 Posts |
I could think of better things to spend the money on than the USO. How about after school clubs for kids in disadvantaged areas, or many of the other suggestions people could come up with that are far better than a welcoming committee.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
784 Posts |
WOW time to camp out at the airport.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2589 Posts |
It should just be allocated to the national debt or used to help fund the TSA
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Valued Member
United States
408 Posts |
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Valued Member
United States
214 Posts |
When I first read the title I thought someone had left 400k worth of coins at a checkpoint!  Oops. Well I guess letting it fund the TSA is ok. But id rather see that money go to some use. I wonder if they ever find any silver... |
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19948 Posts |
Interesting.....thanks for the post!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1796 Posts |
TSA always gets a bad wrap. Frankly, they could use the 400k, and that senator simply wants to put unclaimed funds to *his* pet use rather than theirs (granted the beneficiary is a noble one). However, i's like the escheatment laws here in NJ. "Hey, we can use your unclaimed money better! Honest!" Frankly they should distribute it to the TSA employees as a bonus, given the wide manner and variety of crazy crap that they have to deal with on a daily basis, but that'll never happen because nobody appreciates them. :-)
(Full Disclosure: One of my best friends works for TSA, and it is a thankless job that the press loves making stuff up about. :-) )
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
7840 Posts |
During my Airport Management class the instructor kept on referring to the TSA as "Touching Sensitive Areas".
Edited by oih82w8
01/13/2012 11:32 am
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,699 |
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Posted 01/12/2012 10:24 am
